


Hanami

by triplequad



Series: When In Time [1]
Category: Figure Skating RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Alternative Universe - Kingdom, F/M, Fluff, M/M, Modern Royalty, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-09
Updated: 2018-04-09
Packaged: 2019-04-20 15:41:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 17,990
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14264268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/triplequad/pseuds/triplequad
Summary: For most, the hanami season is the season of celebrating nature's beauty. For Nathan and Mai, it was at this season when they met and fell in love.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> \- modern!royalty au (yes, I retained each of their last names, please ignore that lmao)  
> \- mostly unbeta-ed, so please forgive me for any mistakes!

 

He locks his phone, shuts his eyes, and leans back on his seat. Nathan takes a deep breath and wills himself to relax, willing the music that's flowing through his ears via the headphone he has stuck on his ears to calm himself down. No matter how many hours of preparation he does, travelling via airplanes will always be his least favorite thing to do.

Nathan listens to the music from his headphone, some type of hip hop music that came out on shuffle from Spotify. He doesn't bother changing the song, it won't change the fact that his nerves are everywhere since the day that his father told him to take his place for a diplomatic meeting in Japan.

 

_To my son Nathan,_

 

_As I have deemed that you have prepared enough to continue the path of being the son of a diplomat, I am sending you to the Eastern Kingdom of Japan for a diplomatic meeting. Negotiations for the Worker's Treaty will fall on your hands, and I trust that you will make the right decision for our country of America from the Western Kingdoms._

_The Japanese King and his family will meet you with his subordinates._

 

_Sincerely your father,_

_Rafael Arutunian_

_Senior Diplomat to the Eastern Kingdoms_

 

Nathan has reread the message a couple of times, and it doesn't change the fact that he's pissed off at his father. He sent his son on his first solo diplomatic meeting via a message. He remembers asking his father's secretary on where he was so he can talk further about it with him, but he was brushed off saying that _Mr. Arutunian needs his rest._

It's not that Nathan isn't aware of his duties. Yes, he's the son of a diplomat and he has been training for his whole life to follow in his footsteps. He never had a loving relationship with his father unlike how the society portrays them to be, but he chose not to think much about it, only to focus on training himself further for the position that will inevitably be handed down to him.

But to be sent out on his own with no further instructions other than his stock knowledge on the ongoing negotiations and the papers sent with him on his trip, just further adds to Nathan's frustration; _is the life of being the son of a diplomat even worth it? Am I prepared enough?_

He zones out the roaring of the plane's engines, willing himself to sleep. _We'll see what happens in Japan._

 

//

 

As soon as he lands at Narita Airport, Nathan is bombarded with rapid Japanese language by an official from the royal family, assisting his translator on what to do and on where Nathan should go. Jason calmly smiles at him, and Nathan's grateful that Jason was there to talk in his behalf. His knowledge on the Japanese language is intermediate at it's best, but he's not that fluent to be able to hold fast conversations.

_“Sir Nathan Chen will meet with the king as soon as he goes down the plane. The subordinates of the king will also be there, along with his family. Afterwards he will be escorted on a different car going to the palace in which a place is already prepared for him to rest at.”_

_“Thank you. I will relay it to him.”_

Jason turns his head ready to relay the message in English, only to see Nathan nodding his head at him. “You understood everything?”

Nathan huffs out a short laugh. “No not everything, but enough to know that I'll be meeting the King and all his people as soon as I go down this plane. So let's go, I feel like a jetlag is catching up to me already.”

Jason laughs at Nathan's exasperated expression, and nods his head at the young diplomat before turning back to the Japanese assistant. _“Yes we are ready.”_

As everyone gets ushered out of the plane one by one with him being the last one to depart, Nathan takes a deep breath with his eyes closed, and wills himself to relax. _Everything will be okay._ He straightens up his dress shirt, tucks his phone deep in his pocket and walks out of the airplane and down the staircase.

Nathan wills out of his head the music that was being played as he walks down the stairs, and calmly smiles as soon as he steps foot on land. A bouquet of flowers is given to him by a small Japanese child in which he calmly smiles at her in gratitude as she cheekily grins back at him. Looking ahead, a line of Japanese officials stand before him as he takes his time to smile and shake their hands one by one. At the end of the line is where the king is waiting for him, his official secretary on his left and the crown prince on his right; wearing straight and pressed up formal suits.

“Greetings Mr. Nathan Chen.” The king says as he shakes his hand in a firm grip. Nathan smiles at him. “It has been an honor to meet your highness, King Daisuke Takahashi.”

The king shakes his head in amusement and lets go of Nathan's hand. “No need to be so formal with me. You are almost the same age as my son here, so I'll treat you like my son as well.” Daisuke says as he gestures at his right. “This is my son Shoma Uno, the Crown Prince. And here on my left is my official secretary Keiji Tanaka. If you need anything, Keiji will gladly extend his help for you.”

Nathan takes his time in shaking the hand of the crown prince who calmly smiles back at him, and shakes the hand of the king's official secretary as well. In the span of a few minutes, Nathan is already impressed with the king's capability to communicate in straight English. He truly embodies what a king should be, in the standards of what Nathan has grown up to.

“I would also like to apologize for my daughter isn't present, she is ill at the moment.” King Daisuke informs him with a grim smile. Nathan shakes his head, showing a small smile in response. “No, it's fine. I understand.”

He has been informed prior to his travel of the family status of the king, with having to lead the country alone with his son and daughter for almost twenty years as he had lost his wife in childbirth for their supposed third child. The princess is almost never present in public occasions, only in rare banquets from time to time. Rumors say that she always feign sickness as the reason for her absence, but Nathan never really does believe in rumors anyway.

“As your stay here is on official business, we will gladly open the palace doors for your stay. We hope you may feel comfortable enough in our humble abode.” The crown prince says.

Nathan smiles back at him in response, and bows his head a bit in gratitude. “Thank you, I completely appreciate it.”

The king's official secretary Keiji extends a hand out as he makes way for Nathan and the royal family, assisting them to separate cars as they head on their way to the palace. As soon as Nathan boards the car with Jason beside him, he deeply sighs out loud with his eyes closed thumping his head on the carseat.

“Well, that went well.” Jason says. Nathan laughs at him. “Too well, I think.” He replies.

 

//

 

A knock on the door resonates throughout the room before it is opened by a guard, closing it immediately as soon as the crown prince has entered.

“Mai, I know you're not asleep.”

The girl who was on bed with the covers hastily thrown over her huffs in frustration, sitting up suddenly in a mock attempt of a tantrum. Her brother only smiles at her actions.

Mai Mihara, younger sister of Crown Prince Shoma Uno of Japan, daughter to it's King Daisuke Takahashi. With her round face, long hair, and eyes that seem to exude innocence at every angle; she physically embodies on what a princess should be.

But not everyone knows and only Shoma does, that Mai feels nowhere near close to a princess.

“What are you doing here Shoma?” She says as she tries to tame her bed hair. Even if it was already in the middle of the afternoon, it was obvious that Mai hasn't left her bed or her room all day.

Shoma gingerly sits on the corner of her bed, pushing her gently a couple of times on her shoulder before she concedes and scoots up to recline on the headboard, Shoma settling beside her. As soon as her brother reclines back Mai places her head over Shoma's shoulder, rubbing her cheek on his skin. He laughs at her antics.

“What's up princess? Why didn't you join us this morning?” He asks as laughs, bringing up a hand to pat her head, fingers gently untangling the strands of her hair. Mai whines a little bit under her breath when he accidentally pulls a little too much, only stopping when he apologizes softly.

Mai pulls away from him, only to make a face as her finger pull on a loose strand from her blanket. “It was too early. And you know me…” she says, and her brother grins before finishing her sentence, “yes, Princess Mai would like to avoid all public events of the royal family if she could.”

She rolls her eyes at his words, hitting Shoma on the shoulder as he laughs out loud. “You make me seem like a slob when I'm not!” Mai huffs at her brother's teasing laughter, standing up to fold her blanket and to fix her bedsheets as best as she could with her brother still sitting on top of it. When it was clear that it was near impossible to do it with her brother's added weight, Mai huffs out in frustration before deciding to fix herself up instead.

Mai walks into the room connecting her wardrobe and her bedroom, picking up clothes to change on to before proceeding to the washroom. “No seriously, what are you doing here?” She calls out to Shoma as she ties up her hair to avoid it getting wet as she washes her face and brushes her teeth. Mai knows that her brother is still lounging on her bed anyways, probably doing something on his phone. “Did Dad tell you to come visit me again or what?”

She hears Shoma hum in response. She waits for a few seconds and when she doesn't hear a further response from him, she decides to quickly wash up and change her clothes. She can just take a full shower later at night.

After a few minutes of washing up and getting dressed, Mai now in her casual clothes gets back to her main room to see her brother still on her bed, phone clutched tightly in his hand playing a game on it. “Don't you ever get tired of playing?” She asks, sitting down beside him once more.

Shoma shrugs at her question. “It's the only thing that I can do while I wait for you to wash up, you know.” He says, and Mai smiles at her brother. He may be the crown prince, but he's the best brother that she could ever had. He always tries to make time for her even if his schedule is always full. Sometimes she feels as if she's just wasting his time, but Shoma has assured her every time that it was alright, that as her brother he should always make time for her.

In times like these that Mai is reminded that comparing herself to her brother, Mai has little to no obligations as part of the royal family. Ever since he was a child, Shoma has been training to follow in the footsteps of their father as the next king. He is aware of this, and he fully embraces it. With Mai as the second child and as the daughter of the King, her only responsibility at the moment is to make certain public appearances when needed, and she doesn't even go in most of them.

Shoma gives her a lot of his time even with his packed schedule, and Mai is sure that he'll be a great king in the future.

“The son of the western diplomat came this morning. Dad is asking if you'll be available to join for dinner this evening?”

Mai averts her eyes at the question. Every princess is expected to have perfect socializing skills, but Mai grew up having difficulty in talking to people unfamiliar to her. Yes she can converse not only in Japanese but also in English as well, but it doesn't make her shyness and nervousness go away in talking to unfamiliar people.

She tries hard, her training and her home lessons help her a lot, but she still shakes and get nervous whenever she does appear in public events. It's one main reason why she doesn't like to appear in any of them.

“Would it make any difference?” Mai asks Shoma with eyes looking everywhere other than back at his, even if he's gazing up intently at her. “People already believe that I'm lazy or that I just chose not to go because I have less obligations than you, because I can just get away from it or whatnot. People don't treat me like a princess already because I don't act like one.”

She feels her brother sit up straighter, even as Mai still refuses to look at him. She feels his arms wrap tight around her, encasing her in a hug. Mai hugs Shoma back.

“That's not the only trait of being a princess, and you know that.” He says. Mai meekly nods her head as Shoma pulls away, holding her at arms length. “Just because you're weak at one aspect it doesn't mean that you can't be a princess anymore. A princess should have a good heart too, always ready to give a hand when needed.”

“I don't know how to do it. I don't think I'm much of a princess anyways.”

A knock on the door interrupts the moment, before opening it to reveal a guard in full suit with a headset on one ear, hands tightly clasped behind his back. “Your highness, Secretary Tanaka is calling for your aid, presumably about the preparation of the papers for the first meeting of negotiations with the western diplomat.”

Shoma gently drops his hands from Mai's arms, nodding his head slowly but with a dark expression on his face. Mai isn't blind though, because behind the dark expression is a softness of affection hidden in his eyes. She's aware, but it's not her story to tell. “Thank you Yuzuru. I will be out in a minute. Please give us a minute to say goodbye.”

“Yes your highness.”

As soon as the door closes, Mai huffs out a breath in an attempt to bring up the dark mood that was suddenly brought upon on her brother. “That bodyguard of yours is so scary. What was his name again? Yazunari?” Shoma laughs at her statement, and Mai feels happy that she had made her brother smile.

“It's Yuzuru you dork.” He says. He wraps an arm around Mai once more in a tight side hug, placing an affectionate kiss on her cheek. “I should go. But remember what I said okay?” He tells her as he stands up and walks towards the door, opening it slightly before finishing his sentence. “You're still a princess, what matters is the kindness in your heart.”

 

//

 

Nathan knew that his trip to Japan won't be easy, but he never knew that he'll already feel all the tension just from his first night, as he sat a few seats away from the king for the royal dinner that night.

At first he was hesitant, Nathan doesn't understand why the king would invite him for dinner and when he asks Jason to properly translate what Secretary Tanaka had told him, Jason just shrugs and tells him that it was what King Daisuke wishes.

Of course he can say no, but rejecting the king's offer would look bad.

So in a long and large table Nathan sits almost beside the king with a few seats in between them, the crown prince directly right in front of him. There were no other people in the dining room besides them, aside from the personal bodyguards of the king and the crown prince who stands up a few metres behind them.

Nathan was presented with a wide array of choices of meat, seafood, and vegetables, with fruits on the side as desert if he wishes too. He takes enough portion to fill his stomach from each dish and quietly eats it all.

_“Your sister isn't joining us again?”_

_“She had lessons all day yesterday. She's still tired.”_

_“That was yesterday. She had all day to rest.”_

It was a moment where Nathan wished he couldn't understand Japanese. He knows that King Daisuke is aware that he has intermediate Japanese conversational skills, so he doesn't understand why he would bring up that certain topic with the crown prince with him present in the room.

“I'm sorry that the princess isn't present yet again Nathan.” Daisuke says, and Nathan almost chokes as all the attention of the king was suddenly brought up to him. “She's not always this lazy. She's just—”

“Tired. She had a very busy day yesterday.” Shoma interrupts, which earns him a glare from his father. Nathan tries to smile in reply, unsure on how to diffuse the dark aura in the room.

“That's fine your highness. I'm sure that there will still be many opportunities to meet her.” He kindly says, smiling to the king and bowing slightly in recognition to the words of the prince. Shoma smiles at him.

Silence envelops the room once more, and Nathan was almost sure that there would be no more exchange of words as he almost finishes everything in his plate, before the king speaks up once more. “I know that this isn't the proper time to start the negotiations,” Daisuke says before he wipes his mouth with his towel; gently placing it down on the table, “but I was honestly surprised that Senior Diplomat Arutunian would send his son instead for an important event as this one, the final negotiations for the Worker's Treaty. What are your thoughts on this?”

It was quiet, too quiet. Even Prince Shoma had finished his meal and was staring at Nathan with a blank expression on as if calmly waiting for Nathan's answer, compared to his father who had an expecting expression on his face. Nathan doesn't know if the king is bating him or not, but he's here, so he'll try his best.

“As you are aware of, I am almost the same age as the crown prince as I am only younger by two years; but I have been training and learning all my life to learn the ways on how to follow the footsteps of my father on being a diplomat.” Nathan starts, willing his hands to still as he grips his pants tight underneath the table. “And although I am not as knowledgeable as my father on all the procedures that happened for the treaty to come to its final stages, but I am knowledgeable enough of it's pros and cons for both of the kingdoms.”

“Migration has happened back and forth in both countries and as reported, there are many cases of abuse in the workforce. I agree that there should be equality between all employees, hence why I am here to put the treaty to its final stages; as this can be beneficial not only to our people who is working here in your country, but also to your people as well who is working in ours.”

Seemingly satisfied with Nathan's answer, Daisuke leans back on his chair with a calculative smile on his face, an eyebrow raised.

“You are very well informed Nathan.” He commends as he stands up, straightening up his suit with deft hands. Nathan abruptly stands up too, desperate to show respect to the king who suddenly stood up even as he almost tipped his glass of water in haste. “Good night, to the both of you.” Daisuke abruptly says before leaving immediately with his bodyguard following him.

Nathan whips his head towards the crown prince who deeply sighs out loud, head shaking as if in disbelief. “Well that went well.” He says with a small laugh. Nathan sheepishly smiles back at him.

“Don't worry about what happened tonight.” Shoma says as he also stands up, picking up his glass of water to take a sip from before placing it back on top of the table. “The king is very calculative. Most of the time he means no harm, he's just very wary. He had years of stress piled up on him with no one to share it with, I hope you understand.”

Nathan does understand, but he doesn't know how to respond to the words of the prince. He was expecting kindness and respectfulness at the most, but not friendliness that seems to ooze out of Shoma's smile that is directed at him.

“Good night Nathan. I hope you may sleep well tonight.” Shoma says as he leaves the room. “Let's go Yuzuru.” His bodyguard immediately follows, only a step away from him.

As soon as both the royal family and their bodyguards have left the room, it's as if all tension in Nathan's body has left with them as well.

 

//

 

Her brother had always told her _“When your head is full of thoughts, take a walk. It'll clear your mind.”_ Mai never believed this, fully knowing that when her brother is too stressed, he locks himself in his room for a whole day instead.

But Mai considers that maybe this is what her brother had wanted to do everytime he gets stressed; to take a walk and hope that with the spring night's breeze, his head will be cleared off from stressful thoughts.

It's been a few nights eversince Mai has last seen Shoma, their last conversation has been when they talked in her room. She has went out of her room a couple of times since then, as she dutifully attended her home classes and spent her meals with the other servants instead of the royal family at the chagrin of her own personal guard. Mai just chose to avoid her father, ashamed of her own thoughts of not being enough; she knows that she has disappointed him enough already.

The thoughts of not being enough as a princess still lurked in her mind. Mai knows that one way to be a better princess is to learn how to communicate better with the people, _but in what way?_ Mai curses her inability to speak well in front of a big audience, curses her ability to feel fear and anxiousness when in front of an unfamiliar crowd. _How can I reach the hearts of our people when I can't even communicate well enough?_

She stares at the dark sky up above her, the gentle swaying of the trees with cherry blossoms slowly falling from them complimenting the serene mood that Tokyo's spring has presented to her. In her thin dress that stops just a few inches above her knees, Mai contemplates that maybe sneaking out in the dead of the night with gentle cold air breezing through is a bad idea, but just shrugs it off as she tries to bring the cardigan that she brought with her closer to her body.

_Take a walk, clear your thoughts._

The palace gardens are as beautiful as ever. Mai remembers playing tag with Shoma when they were younger, getting lost in between the tall bushes, going back to the palace with bits of leaves and twigs stuck in their hair. They would always be scolded by their servants who would take upon the work to clean them up before their father even knows that they went out to play.

Things are different now, as Mai takes slow steps with fingers grazing on the bushes, as if to reminisce her younger days. No it's not sad or a painful past, things just got to a point in where Mai had to remind herself that they're older now, they have obligations to do.

Mai arrives on the center of the garden where a big opening is found, with a little fountain with flowers decorating its immediate surroundings. Even after all these years, the fountain is still very well kept. The moonlight shines brightly above as Mai takes a few steps forward before stopping in front of the fountain, taking a look at her own reflection that the moon illuminated at the water.

“I grew up, but I'm still that shy awkward girl…” she whispers to herself, deep in her thoughts.

A sudden noise from behind cuts her from her own thoughts as Mai turns around to see a young man in obvious sleep wear, a coat hastily thrown over his shoulders staring at her with wide eyes, seemingly also surprised at the noise that he caused.

She takes a cautious step back, only to remember that the fountain is behind her and one more step could make her fall into the cold water.

“I mean no harm!” he says, voice high in panic with his arms up, palms facing forward in a defensive position. “I'm sorry princess, I never meant to scare you!”

Mai's face contorted into an expression of confusion. The man spoke in English, and he is also unfamiliar to her although she knows every worker that there is in the palace, and yet he knows her?

Tentatively, she nods her head in response. “Are you…” she says in English, a bit hesitant to respond to a stranger. “are you the son of the western diplomat?”

He takes a few steps nearer, and Mai's heart speeds up at the thought of a stranger near to her, alone in the middle of a garden. He must have sensed her fear as he stops a few steps away from her, hands raising up once more in a defensive position, as if telling her through his actions that he means no harm.

Mai attempts to quietly calm her breathing, as he smiles at her gently. After a few moments she finally returns his smile gently, as his grin widens and he takes slow steps nearer to her once more.

Now beside her, he gestures to the fountain behind them, offering for her to take a seat with him. She meekly nods her head in affirmation as she takes a sit and he follows, leaving a respectable distance between them.

“Yes princess. I'm the son of the western diplomat. My name is Nathan Chen.”

 

-

 

At the moment, Nathan believes that he's crazy.

The past few days have been a mix of hectic schedule of meetings with Secretary Tanaka, in preparation for the formal negotiation talks with King Daisuke. It has been a back and forth of preparing points to debate on, paragraphs in which should be revised so that it shouldn't only benefit one country, so on and so forth. Nathan feels like his head will explode anytime, but he holds on. He has a duty to finish.

Maybe choosing this time to take a walk in the dead of the night is wrong, with only wearing a jacket over his thin sleepwear. He's also debating if the time that he chose to go on a walk is wrong, when he stumbles upon the royal princess.

Even if he hasn't seen the princess face to face, he knows enough of the palace staff and it's servants to know that the girl silently walking in the palace garden is no servant, but is the royal princess instead. Call it strong intuition but at first look, Nathan knows that the girl in front of him is Princess Mai Mihara.

The princess who the people and the media portrays as evasive and lazy, but the further that Nathan looks at her the more he believes that she's anything but not.

Princess Mai Mihara is obviously shy, and obviously uncomfortable with the presence of a stranger. It doesn't take a blind person to see and note how her actions clearly portrays what she feels. Nathan already can see that Mai just doesn't know how to deal with unfamiliar people.

The edge of the fountain where they sat is a bit cold to the skin, and Nathan somehow regrets inviting Mai to sit down with him when he sees her shiver a bit, attempting to hide it from him. He shows her a smile, and she shyly smiles back as she tries to avoid his gaze. For a second he debates giving her his jacket; but decides not to in fear that she might feel uncomfortable once more when his silent presence that he gave her was making her comfortable even if just a little bit. _Maybe at another time._

_“Princess Mai?”_ He starts, and her head whips to the side to stare at him in surprise upon hearing him speak in careful Japanese. She lightens up and smiles at him, as if to approve of his attempt at a conversation. Nathan loses himself in his thoughts for a second, his breath taken away by the smile directed at him.

He grins back at her, chest pounding and head spinning. _“Princess, why are you here? This late at night?”_

Mai averts her eyes away from his and for a second Nathan wishes that she hadn't turned away, but the smile on her lips didn't falter so Nathan considers it still as a win. With eyes now ahead and away from Nathan's vision, Mai turns her head a bit to the side, shoulders shrugging in his question. _“My brother used to say that to clear my thoughts, I should take a walk.”_ She turns back at him to give him a cheeky grin, and Nathan feels himself smile widely at it in response.

Upon the sudden breeze of cold wind that came upon that urged them to pull their jackets closer to their body, Nathan averts his eyes to the ground, smile still not faltering from his face.

_“I have many thoughts too. I took a walk to clear my head. I guess there's something with Tokyo's wind that makes me feel calm.”_

Mai giggles at his statement and Nathan feels as if it's music to his ears. He doesn't know what's happening with the sudden beating of his heart, but he pays it no mind. He's feeling calm right now, that's what matters the most.

“Not only in Tokyo, but the whole of Japan has beautiful spring. Cherry blossoms everywhere makes everyone feel calm. It's Japan's charm.”

Nathan feels a huff of breath escape his lips in amazement as Mai said those words in English. He truly gets amazed at the royal family the more that he gets to spend time with them.

He nods his head in response, allowing silence to envelop them once more. When earlier apprehension and fear were around them as they were almost strangers, it's as if all it took for them to find comfort in each other is proper introduction and a common reason for seeking out a walk late in night; to free themselves from suffocating thoughts.

“Yuzuru no!”

Their heads whip behind them upon hearing the half shriek, eyes widening at familiar tone of the person who took them by surprise. In a half second a rustle of bushes followed, and out emerging are Prince Shoma and his bodyguard that Nathan came to know as Yuzuru Hanyu.

With eyes wide in confusion, Nathan watched as Shoma obviously struggled in Yuzuru's hold, and for a split second thought that the crown prince might be in danger from his own guard. Lost in his thoughts, Nathan failed to see Mai's hand suddenly shooting up to grab his hand, pulling him away to hide themselves on a nearby bush, away from the eyes of the resisting prince and his guard.

Crouched down following Mai's position, Nathan whips his head to his side to see panic swimming in the eyes of the princess, eyes wide with her index finger between her lips. An obvious sign for Nathan. _Please keep quiet_.

_“No, Yuzuru! What are you doing?!”_

_“We need to talk Shoma.”_

_“Now you're talking to me by first name basis?”_

_“Please keep it down, others might hear you.”_

_“You drag me out here in the middle of the night to talk and expect me not to go hysterical? When the last thing that we have talked about is my feelings for you—”_

_“And I haven't stopped thinking about you ever since.”_

Nathan belatedly feels himself being pulled away, only to realize that Mai was dragging him away from the scene. Thoughts are swimming in his head, but it doesn't take a fluent Japanese speaker to understand what they were talking about. Nathan was nowhere near repulsed at the indication and if anything, he was more surprised that a prince like Shoma would confront his own feelings like that.

They abruptly stopped running and Nathan realizes that they're back at the side entrance of the palace, the nearest entrance and exit point from the gardens.

Mai is still holding his hand and as if struck by the realization of it, suddenly let's go. She faces him with wide eyes and at first Nathan is confused why, but suddenly realizes the fear is reflected in her eyes. _She's scared for his brother._

“ _Please_ ,” Mai starts in Japanese, but abruptly changes to English. “don't tell anyone.”

With their chests still heaving in exhaustion with the sudden run, Nathan flashes Mai a smile as he nods his head at her, gently holding onto her arm, desperate to let her know through his actions that he understands, that he won't tell.

“I won't princess. You can count on me.”

 

//

 

It has been a week since Mai has talked to Shoma.

As she walked through the palace halls, Mai can't help but to be worried sick, remembering the times where every time she would make an attempt to talk to him about it, Shoma would just weakly smile at her and would brush her off, diverting their conversation to another topic. Mai watches Shoma struggle every time as the topic is brought up, with Yuzuru avoiding her gaze every time she tries to make eye contact with him.

Shoma and Yuzuru probably heard them running away, but they probably didn't see that Mai wasn't alone; that Nathan Chen the son of the western diplomat, was with her that night.

Strangely, Mai wasn't worried much with Nathan telling anyone, she was more worried for the state of her brother. She was aware that whatever Shoma had with Yuzuru had been a thing brewing for so long and for them to reach their boiling point is scary for Mai to see. Mai never told Shoma that she knows even if it was clear to anyone who sees the both of them on a daily basis, and Shoma is probably grateful to her for keeping it a secret for so long. But Mai is worried for her brother, Shoma is already carrying so much weight on his shoulders as the crown prince and for him to add his brewing romance with Yuzuru on top of it is worrying for Mai to watch.

_I wish he could share his worries to me._

In the span of that week, Mai has crossed paths with Nathan more often than she had thought she would. She had expected fear and wariness to creep inside her for her brother every time she meets Nathan's eye, but he only gives her a smile and a nod of acknowledgment before turning away to go on his merry way. It's as if he was reassuring her that whatever happened will be a secret between them.

And surprisingly, Mai believes in Nathan. Maybe it's the trust that she sees in his eyes, the determination that he showed her through his actions that he can be trustworthy. He's a near stranger, but that experience with him gave Mai a new light in approaching new people. _Maybe it's not so bad to meet new and unfamiliar people, to give my trust in them._

Upon arriving at her destination, Mai opens the door to the palace library. Even with the recent happenings, time wouldn't stop for them and Mai would have to continue on with her daily schedule of home lessons and some small public appearances.

With the issue of her brother and his guard pushed at the back of her mind, Mai proceeds to look for a book that will aid her with her studies. With no one around to help her find the book, she quickly scans the thankfully very organized shelves, and immediately pulls out the book that she had been looking for.

 

_The History of Migration between the Western and Eastern Kingdoms_

_Chapter 10 page 47_

 

_… as time have told, the negotiations between the western and eastern kingdoms are near impossible to achieve, with issues such as inequality and racism barriers to achieving peace between both kingdoms._

_But as the demand for employment grew, citizens from both countries found opportunities from each opposing kingdom for a better salary raise, thus even with the constant failing of negotiations, the percentage of migration that happens in both kingdoms keeps on getting higher every year._

_Seen in the chart below—_

 

Mai gets cut off from her reading by a loud groan, and an even louder sound of something dropping to a table afterwards. She tucks the book under her arm and slowly walks out of the aisle towards the cluster of tables at the hidden corner of the library.

She is caught by surprise when someone of curly hair is seen burying his head on a pile of papers messily piled on top of each other on a large table; someone Mai can easily identify as Nathan Chen.

Taking slow and silent steps towards him, Mai quietly pulls out a chair and sits down in front of Nathan who was clearly in anguish at the amount of work that he has to do in front of him.

“Nathan, are you okay?”

He jumps at the sound of her voice, shooting up to sit straight and she was met with tired but surprised eyes. Mai calmly smiles at him, an attempt to make him feel better through her actions, hoping to convey the message that telling someone your frustrations can be better for your own mentality. Luckily, it's as if Nathan understands her right from the start.

“I'm okay princess, just tired.”

“Please don't call me that.” She hastily answers back. Nathan looks at her in confusion as she softly laughs at him. “Don't call me _princess_. Just Mai is okay.”

Nathan widens his eyes at her statement, head shaking from side to side in opposition. “No no, I can't! You're of royal family, I just can't—”

“We're of same age right?” Mai interjects, immediately stopping him from his ranting. He slowly nods his head, and Mai beams at him in response. “Then that settles it! Just call me Mai, we can be friends!”

He sheepishly smiles at her words, before nodding in understanding. “Alright.” He says, as he attempts to organize all the papers by stacking them on top of one another in neat piles. “What are those anyways?”

Nathan breathes out a deep sigh, shaking his head from left to right at the growing amount of paper in his hands. “Documents about the negotiations. It's.. going okay, I think.” He tentatively says.

Mai purses her lips at his obvious tiredness, opting not to take a peek at what the negotiations are about, it's probably not an issue for her to meddle with deeply. “It's almost done right? I mean.. I would assume that senior diplomat Arutunian wouldn't have sent you here if the documents aren't ready yet or at least in their final stages already?”

He weakly shrugs at her question as he successfully gathers all the papers, placing them neatly on each of their envelopes beside him. Mai feels her heart ache at the obvious tiredness that is reflected on Nathan's actions, from the tired shrugging of his shoulders to the weak smile that he desperately tries to plaster on his lips. He's tired, but he's trying so hard.

“Sometimes, I think I'm not yet even ready yet to fill in for my father.”

Sadness fills in the room with Nathan's statement, as he stares down at the table, as if ashamed of what he had confessed. Mai's heart ached for him more. He's young, even as young as herself, and yet he's already carrying such a heavy load on such a young age.

In a fit of bravery and determination, Mai reaches out and gently grabs Nathan's hand, grip gentle but firm. Nathan gets surprised judging by the hitch of his breath, but he doesn't pull away.

“Sometimes, we are given tasks that we think we cannot do.” She starts as she rubs gentle touches on his hand. He's still staring straight at the table, so she continues. “But it doesn't mean that we cannot do it. Sometimes it takes time, but I believe that these tasks won't be given to us if these people don't believe in our capabilities.”

Nathan shows a small smile at her words, as he looks up to her and gives her a grin. Mai couldn't help but to smile back, overwhelmed by the amount of calmness that suddenly seemed to exude from his eyes.

_“Thank you Mai.”_

She nods at him happily, as she let's go of his hand to recline back on her chair, placing the book that she has on her arm earlier face down on the table.

“How's your brother?”

Mai makes a face at this question, and she sees Nathan's smile faltering. “He's okay, but we haven't talked about it.” She sighs out loud, shaking her head from left to right.

She watches Nathan squirm in his seat, as if he's hesitant in asking more. Mai just shows him a sheepish smile, and he chuckles at that. “How are they though? Him and his guard?”

“Shoma and Yuzuru?” Nathan nods his head in agreement. “They're.. acting like the conversation never happened. They never knew that you were there though, they probably thought it was only me.”

Mai sighs out loud at this, placing her hands under chin, her elbows below supporting the weight of her whole head on top of the table. “I'm just really worried about my brother.” She starts, and Nathan nods her head in response, to tell her that he's listening. “All the weight of being the crown prince is on him, and yet he has another issue like this. Don't get me wrong, I like Yuzuru and he does his job well, but I just don't want my brother to get more stressed? He needs someone to talk to, to comfort him, and I can't do that if he won't allow me to.”

As she talked, Mai found her eyes wandering down to stare at the table instead. She's just so worried for her brother that she missed the fond look that Nathan gave her while she was talking.

“You know Mai, that's really.. sweet of you? Like a princess that you really are. To take care of others, to give comfort when needed, to guide others when they are desperate. I'm sure that your brother appreciates your effort, but in this case maybe he wants to think about it within himself first before talking it out with you? He trusts you, but maybe he needs to clear out things with himself first.”

When Nathan finishes, he looks up to see Mai blushing, eyes wide in clear embarrassment of his praise on her. Nathan fondly laughs at this, but opted not to say anything.

“You're a real princess, Mai. And your brother isn't the only one who appreciates you, we all do.”

 

//

 

Even as her brother, Shoma never forced Mai to attend any of her required public appearances or even any of their daily family dinners. Shoma knows that as a crown prince he should be strict over her sister for she is a princess herself, but as a brother Shoma knows that dealing with people is something that Mai had to work on with herself. He just can't force her to mingle and talk when she clearly cannot.

So for Shoma to see Mai already seated just a few chairs away from his designated seat in their dining area is a complete but pleasant surprise. Their father isn't present yet, but Nathan already is and even with the expanse of the table between them, pleasant conversations are being exchanged from the both of them.

Shoma takes his seat in front of Nathan quietly, as he feels Yuzuru position himself a few distances behind him. Coincidentally Shoma catches Nathan's eyes staring at Yuzuru with a blank expression on his face for a few seconds before averting his eyes to Shoma, getting surprised that the prince was already looking at him. Nathan averts his eyes once more away from the both of them, facing towards Mai again with a pleasant smile on his face.

Shoma doesn't want to think about the implications of Nathan's actions, he refuses to.

At the exact moment the king enters the room, and the three seated individuals immediately stood up to give respect. King Daisuke obviously raises an eyebrow upon seeing Mai present, and the princess just bows her head in response.

_“It's nice to see you finally present here, Mai.”_

She bows her head once more, and Daisuke signals the servants to start bringing in the dishes. They all took a seat, as they patiently wait for the food to be laid out in front of them.

_“I won't ask what made you join us for dinner after so long, but I hope that your long absence won't happen again.”_

Shoma glances a look at Mai who was looking at the table instead of their father. She nods her head in grim understanding. _“I understand.”_

In all of his existence as the crown prince, Shoma knows how to differentiate the moods of his father. He knows when the king is too stressed, too tired, or even too emotional at some point. Their father might have never acted like the ideal loving father that there is to his children, but he is never this hostile to Mai. So tonight, Shoma can see that the king is too stressed; and one wrong move can end the night wrongly for all of them.

At the corner of his eye, Shoma sees Nathan looking at Mai after her response to the king, and sees him furrow his eyebrows in worry. Shoma smiles softly at this, glad to know that there is someone out there caring for his sister besides himself.

A crash suddenly resonated in the room, and all three of them whip their heads to stare at Daisuke who now has half of his right shoulder drenched in hot soup. His face is contorted in anger and he wasn't howling in pain, so Shoma assumes that the hot soup didn't make contact with his skin and instead only drenched the king's suit instead.

The servant responsible for the mess bows repeatedly, apologies spilling from her lips as she is on her knees.

_“I am truly sorry! I made an unforgivable sin! Your highness please spare me, I mean no harm!”_

Daisuke is obviously fuming in anger, as he remains unmoving in his seat other than to wipe some remnants of the soup that got to his right hand using his handkerchief. The other servants around them are afraid to move, deathly scared that one wrong move might make the king even angrier than before.

_“I have made an unforgivable sin! I truly mean no harm! Please spare me your highness, I have no such idea to hurt you, it was an accident!”_

The woman is one of their old kitchen staff, the ones that have probably witnessed the growth of the royal children. Shoma hazily remembers her as a nice young lady who would offer them fruits whenever they would sneak in the kitchen when they were younger, but now she has obviously grown into an old struggling woman who is still working and carrying heavy trays probably just to make ends meet. Shoma feels his heart ache for her.

_“Please your highness, spare me, I mean no harm! I—”_

She abruptly stops as Daisuke suddenly stands up, his guards taking a step forward to assist him only to stop when he raises a hand. The king suddenly starts to unbutton the suit jacket that he was wearing, slowly removing it from his shoulders before suddenly flinging it towards the servant in a violent whip. Shoma feels himself gasp in shock, and he feels more than he sees Mai and Nathan flinch at the sudden action.

The shocked woman holds onto the suit jacket in pain and confusion, her right cheek red from the pain inflicted on her.

_“Do you know, how expensive this is?!”_ Daisuke screams, as the woman now openly cries in fear. _“How dare you spill liquid on something that is worth more than your life?!”_

The woman's crying continues to get louder, sputtering unintelligible words in response. Everyone is frozen in fear, unsure on what to do.

Daisuke crouches down to be in the same level as the women, grabbing his suit jacket from her to raise it in her eye level. _“If you cannot afford to dirty something let alone touch it, then you don't even have a right to look at it. This is worth more than what you can possibly give me in this lifetime.”_

The woman repeatedly nods at the king's words, agreeing even to his degrading statement. He stands up to tower over her as he listens to her words. _“Yes, I will do anything to set things right. I will sell anything and my everything just to replace this if you want your highness. Just please spare me I—”_

A chair creaks as it suddenly gets pushed away, and Shoma turns his head to see Mai standing up. Confusion clouds in Shoma's mind as he sees the fire his sister's eyes. It wasn't anything like he saw before, and Shoma suddenly doesn't know what will happen next.

Mai takes a few slow steps towards the woman, and everyone's breath stops in fear and confused anticipation of what might happen next. As she stops right in front of her, Mai crouches down and grips the arms of the servant, assisting her as she pulls her onto her feet. The woman stares at the princess with wide eyes.

_“I disagree. Your life is not any less than a piece of clothing. Value life as you only have one of it, while expensive pieces of clothing like this can be bought and be made into many versions and many copies. You only have one version of your own life, and that's irreplaceable.”_

Mai turns to their father, who was staring at her with an unreadable expression on his face. Shoma doesn't know what to do, if he should take a step or just let things be, let her sister handle this for the first time.

_“You will not do anything with this woman, father.”_ She says, as she loops her arm around the woman's and hold her hand tightly in hers. _“She committed a mistake, and she has apologized. No further actions shall be taken. It was all an accident.”_

Everyone waited with bated breath at how the king will react to the words of the princess. Everyone at some point would expect more anger, more shouting, and even maybe the king expressing his disappointment at the princess; but no one expected the king to quirk a small smile and to nod his head.

The shocked woman stares at both the king and the princess as they exchanged nods, Mai with a small satisfied smile on her face and with Daisuke shaking his head in disbelief.

_“It appears that my daughter is smarter than me.”_ He starts, shaking his head in disappointment at himself. Everyone is still unmoving, still shocked at what is happening. _“I apologize for my words and my actions. It was insensitive of me, insensitive even for a king who should be gentle to his subordinates.”_ Daisuke says to the woman with a small bow of his head. He instantly receives a violently refusal from the servant.

_“No Your highness! Please do not apologize to me! I am a mere servant!”_

_“No,”_ The king softly interjects. He stares at everyone in the room one by one before looking back at his daughter. _“Let us learn from the princess who has a heart of gold. To take care of others, to value life as it is irreplaceable.”_

Shoma stares at his sister in disbelief, shocked at the sudden turn of events. He knows that his father has his own moments of anger that is mostly caused by stress, but for Mai to retaliate head on and to successfully calm their father down is something new. He himself as a crown prince has never done that.

He turns his head to the side to take a peek at how Nathan is taking things, and Shoma is met with surprise as he sees admiration oozing out from the soft smile that Nathan has directed towards Mai. At the corner of his eye, he sees Mai catching Nathan's smile, returning it with a smile of hers.

The prince gently shakes his head in quiet disbelief, smiling at the implications of what the smiles that they were sharing with each other may possibly mean.

 

//

 

It has been a crazy few nights, and Mai still cannot believe that she had it in herself to go against her father and to make him realize his faults, in a mere matter of minutes.

After the incident, almost everything went back to normal, other than the fact that almost everyone in the palace treats her differently, even her brother Shoma.

People would let their attention on her linger for a few seconds longer every time she would walk in the palace hallways, or whenever she would pass by the kitchens or the garden. A few others started approaching her with caution, while majority of the people seem to be more relaxed around her than ever before. Surprisingly, the attention didn't scare her much as it used to before, but Mai would admit to herself that somehow the change still makes her feel a bit unsettled. _Is me retaliating to my father that unusual?_

The one person who still treats her like nothing has happened, is Nathan.

Nathan, who was now cheekily throwing rocks at her bedroom window with a grin, as she rolls her eyes at him jokingly, a smile ghosting on her lips.

It was one of those nights where the moon is shining brightly; with the cold air breeze comfortable enough for Mai to decide to open her windows just a little bit to let the air in her room only to be met by surprise when a rock hits her window. She looks down only to see Nathan in casual clothes, few pebbles in his hand.

Judging from the grin that he was sporting Mai knew that he had something in mind. She humors him as she leans towards the window, arms around her body with a smile on her face. Nathan jokingly clears his throat, and raises his hand towards Mai;

“Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!”

She laughs out loud at his antics and it earned her a laugh from him as well. He signals her to come down, and Mai makes an incredulous expression at him.

“Are you crazy?!” Mai says, who was still laughing under her breath. Nathan shrugs at her, but judging from the mirth in his eyes Mai thinks that maybe Nathan really is crazy at the moment. “Kind of, sort of? Well it's a wonderful night, and it's a shame for me to enjoy it alone. Might as well look for a companion while I'm at it!”

Mai looks around the vicinity of the grounds, humoring Nathan who was waiting for her response. She huffs a disbelieving breath at him when she sees that no one was around. “Where's that assistant of yours? The one who's around whenever you're doing your official business here? Why don't you ask him to join you?”

Nathan waves a hand off to dismiss Mai's statement. “Jason? He's my translator. And he's already asleep, he always sleeps earlier than me anyways.” He says with a shrug.

“But seriously _princess_ ,” Nathan suddenly says, following it with a soft smile that for a second, made Mai's heart skip a beat. She stares back at him with wide eyes, silent anticipation brimming in her chest at what his next words may be. “I won't force you to join me but if you will, I won't make you regret taking a walk with me tonight.”

Maybe it's the softness in his eyes, or the gentleness in his tone; Mai doesn't know and doesn't take time to think about it even longer, for the second that the words left his lips, Mai smiled and nodded her head in agreement.

“Give me a minute.”

 

-

 

If you ask him, Nathan can't give you an answer as to why he suddenly went out that day to invite the princess out on a walk. Looking back, Nathan now believes that he might have looked like an idiot throwing rocks at her window as if he's a prince and she's his princess.

The thought of Mai being his princess resonated in his mind, and Nathan found his cheeks blushing hotly with the idea. Ever since the first night of his sudden meeting with the princess, Nathan has grown to accept his fondness for Mai. And the more that he spends time with her, the more that he finds himself liking her. ‘ _But in what way? Is there something more than this?’_

Nathan gets pulled back from his thoughts as the sound of Mai's window being fully opened creaked in the quietness of the palace gardens. Mai's room was just at the second floor of the palace, and Nathan belatedly chides at himself for only realizing _'how will the princess get down from there?!’_

Mai who was now sporting a jacket over her thin sleepwear seems to share his apprehension, as she looks down at him in bewilderment. “How will I go down from here?”

Nathan takes a look around the area to check if there are any people around and upon seeing none, looks back up at Mai who was now staring at him in confusion. Nathan tries not to think on how crazy the idea looks, he'll just push through it.

“Jump, I'll catch you.”

“WHAT?!”

Nathan shushes Mai when she nearly shouts at him, but Nathan knows that he deserves to be shouted at, probably. “Are you insane?!” Mai says, voice now in a loud whisper instead. “My room is at the second floor! I could injure myself! I could—”

“I wouldn't allow anything to get you hurt. I promise.” He says with his arms already extended in a way to encourage Mai to fall in his arms. Nathan doesn't know if he's strong enough to catch her but if it will make Mai go down, then he'll just push through it. “I'll catch you Mai. Don't worry.”

Nathan wouldn't take it against Mai if she'll say no and would choose to just stay in her room for the night, but it's an understatement to say that he was surprised when Mai took a deep resigned breath, nodding her head as if to ground herself before swinging a foot out of the window.

In surprise, Nathan rushes nearer to the window as close as he can to minimize the force of Mai's body on his when she decides to jump.

“I'm trusting my life on you for this Nathan.” She says with a nervous chuckle, as she now sits on the ledge, both of her legs swinging off the window.

Loud footsteps suddenly echoed through the night, as louder voices from the roaming guards followed. Mai and Nathan suddenly shared a panic look and in a sudden split decision, Mai launches herself down into Nathan's arms.

It was nowhere near romantic as Nathan luckily safely plops down to the ground with Mai's added weight. But they didn't have time to dwell on the situation as they immediately stood up and hand in hand, ran away from the nearing guards, sharing laughter with each other.

“You're an idiot Nathan Chen!” Mai exclaims, catching her breath as she struggles to laugh and breathe at the same time as they ran away.

Nathan shakes his head in disbelief at the situation, freely laughing out loud in laughter. They ran through the bushes, passing through the maze-like structure of the wide yard, losing themselves in the wide expanse of the palace garden.

After deeming it safe enough from any lurking guards, Nathan suddenly pulls Mai into a stop in front of a nearby tree, chest heaving in exhaustion. He hasn't let go of Mai's hand and with a grin, decides he won't let go, not yet. He suddenly tugs Mai closer to him as leans his weight on the tree, catching Mai who lost her balance at the sudden tug that he did. She gently lands in his arms, her other hand in his chest, his other arm around her body, and their hands from previously still tightly linked together.

“Yeah I'm pretty crazy. I'm sorry princess.”

With their bodies pressed together and with their faces close enough to share each other's breathes, Mai stares at Nathan with wide eyes, staring with such intensity that Nathan seems to lost himself in her gaze.

It's as if time doesn't exist at the moment, with the both of them sharing each other's spaces, getting lost in each other's gazes.

When a sudden chilly breeze runs through the air, it's as if they were suddenly brought back into reality. Mai softly takes a step back, as Nathan brings his hands down, averting his eyes in embarrassment.

Nathan watches as Mai chooses to turn away to take slow steps towards a nearby bush, hands reaching out to lightly touch the fallen cherry blossoms laying on top of it. He wills his heart to calm down, either from exhaustion or from their position earlier on, Nathan doesn't know.

Maybe he does, but at the moment, Nathan doesn't want to think about it.

He follows Mai who has taken some of the fallen cherry blossoms into her left hand, clearly admiring them with the way how she lightly touches them with her fingers on her right. Nathan quietly follows behind her closely, but with enough space between them if needed.

“You know,” Mai starts, softly saying the words into the air as if she's afraid of breaking the serene aura that they currently have, “one of the main attractions in Japan are the cherry blossoms during spring. We have many cherry blossom trees here in the palace garden, but I grew up here, so while growing up I unconsciously lost interest in paying attention to them, their importance to the country, and to their prettiness.”

She transfers the cherry blossoms that she had picked from her left hand to her right, turning around to show them to Nathan with a smile on her face.

“Pretty, aren't they?”

Nathan is sure that Mai was referring to the flowers, but at the moment he couldn't do anything other than stare at the princess, at her eyes brimming of softness and innocence. Later, Nathan will realize that maybe it was at that moment when his breath got stuck up in his throat, watching the princess smile at him with full trust in her eyes; that maybe the fondness that he feels for her has grown into something bigger than his heart could ever take.

With eyes staring back at the the princess, Nathan smiles back at Mai and nods his head.

_“Yes, beautiful.”_

 

//

 

To say that Nathan was overwhelmed is an understatement.

Feelings are confusing. It can give you happiness, it can give you sadness, and sometimes it can even give you both at the same time, something bittersweet that will still creep into the crevices of your heart.

Nathan knows that he's not confused, he's thinking clearly, but it's as if he has lost all control of his emotional well-being upon the realization that his heart has wanted something much bigger than he ever thought he could have wanted.

Princess Mai Mihara, daughter to King Daisuke Takahashi of the Eastern Kingdom of Japan, sister to Crown Prince Shoma Uno.

With all the soft innocence that she carries in her heart and in her eyes, Mai has such a strong character, a strong silent will to take care of the people around her. She's not like the western princesses that Nathan has met before; she's calm, gentle, innocent, and doesn't give her trust easily and yet would extend help whenever someone needed it.

And she does it all without believing that she deserves to be a princess.

_‘But she is, Mai is a princess to me. A beautiful princess.’_

Last night had been like a dream to Nathan. After taking a long walk at the palace gardens, even passing through the fountain where they first met, Nathan escorted Mai back to her room, with soft conversations and even softer touches of their fingertips whenever their hands would touch while they were walking. He bids her good night in front of her bedroom, holds her hand in his to leave a soft kiss on it. Nathan happily smiles as a beautiful blush decorated Mai's cheeks, before she bids him good night as well.

Nathan can feel his heart beating faster at the memory, groaning out loud in embarrassment at himself as he buries his face on top of the papers he was currently working on. He knows that he's technically in the palace library and quietness should be observed, but _how can I do so when I can practically hear my heart beating out loud?!_

The final negotiations are in a week, and the preparations are almost done. His father hasn't contacted him since he arrived, and he doesn't expect him to do so. So to see his phone ringing loudly in with his father's contact number illuminated in the screen, apprehension creeps up in Nathan.

He stands up, leaves all papers behind only to bring his ringing phone and walks out of the library and out to the hallway, where he finally answers the call.

 

“Father? You don't usually call me.”

_“This is urgent business.”_

“You usually call Jason first regardless if it's an urgent business or not. What could possibly be—”

_“I want you to drop the negotiations.”_

 

The silence that followed was deafening, as Nathan stands frozen in shock at what his father had said.

 

_“I just got off from a meeting with our king. He wants to drop the negotiations. Follow his orders and come back here immediately.”_

“But father, I—”

_“No buts Nathan. Follow what our king had said.”_

 

At his father's words, Nathan fumed. He clutched his phone in anger, inhaling deep breaths to ground himself for his next words.

 

“You sent me out here, alone, only with Jason to accompany me, only to tell me weeks later to drop everything and go back?! How inconsiderate of you! To just throw your son away and to pull him back when you need to!”

_“This isn't the time to argue—”_

“No father! I have every right at any time to argue more so if what you are doing is wrong! What is this dropping the negotiations? Everything is almost already set! What are you even planning?! What are you—”

_“The king doesn't think that negotiations with the Japanese are worth it. He plans to deport all the Japanese workers here back to their country instead.”_

 

“Deportation..?” Nathan whispers, shock and disbelief etched on his face. In his shock, Nathan fails to see a presence standing a few metres before him. “You want to deport the Japanese instead?”

He hears a hitch of breath at his words, and he turns his head only to see Mai with her eyes wide open and both hands up to cover her mouth in shock. Nathan loses his grip in his phone, dropping it on the floor.

“Mai, I—”

_“You're going to deport the Japanese instead?”_ She whispers in her own language, and fear seizes up in Nathan's chest at the realization that Mai has misunderstood him, that Mai only heard what he said but doesn't know that he doesn't agree with all of it.

“No Mai, please. Let me explain.” He starts as he takes a step forward, only for her to take a step back. Nathan knows that the more he advances towards her the more that she'll close herself off and in desperation, spews out the words that has been squeezing in his chest ever since his phone conversation with his father had started.

“It's not my idea, it's my father's, or our king's, I don't know I'm not sure. But I don't agree with them. You have to believe in me Mai, I didn't come here to do that, I came here to help everyone, not to push each other away.”

Mai stares at the ground as Nathan desperately explains, eyes flickering as her mind obviously tries to process what he had just said. Nathan attempts to take another step forward, but Mai takes another step back.

_“I don't know what to believe..”_ she whispers in agony, and his heart aches at the fact that he was the one who caused her confusion in the first place. _“My heart says to believe in you, but my mind says not to.”_

“Please princess,” Nathan says as he strides forward to grab Mai's arms, desperately holding her in place, hopeless in his last attempt to make her look at him. Mai does bring up her eyes to look at him and when Nathan looked back, he sees sadness swimming in them; and he blames himself for destroying the softness that she gave him whenever they looked at each other before.

“I would never do that princess. So please,” he stops, as Nathan hesitantly brings up a hand to hold her cheek, desperate to make her feel the warmth of his sincerity. “Please follow your heart princess, please believe in me.”

Mai closes her eyes, and for a second nuzzles her face into his hand as if to seek the comfort and sincerity. The moment ends too soon when she suddenly takes a step back, and the fear comes back in Nathan's chest once more.

_“I don't know yet which should I follow Nathan. I want to believe in you, I really do. But I don't know if I could.”_

 

//

 

The next few nights are cold and awkward.

Mai had stopped going to their dinners once again, and Nathan had stopped visiting the palace library and opted to work in his room instead. It was not unnoticeable to anyone in the palace as obvious painful awkwardness envelops the both of them everytime they would catch each other by the hallways. When before they would give each other smiles in greeting, now they couldn't even meet the other's eyes.

Mai is torn. For the past month that Nathan has stayed in the palace, he has shown her nothing but kindness and trust. He was one of the people who really helped her to start believing in herself, to start putting trust in people that they would listen to her and would hold her hand when they need to. Mai doesn't want to believe that he'll be the one who'll break that trust as well.

She's torn whether to tell her father or not. Daisuke has never been an openly loving father, but he's not unnecessarily cruel to anyone. He leads with intelligence, and treats everyone with respect. He gets his bout of anger at times, and the one time that he truly lost control, Mai was the one who calmed him down, and that was with Nathan present. Mai doesn't know what Daisuke might do to Nathan if he finds out what his father was planning.

She may love her country, and she may be willing to do anything to help her people whenever they need her to, but Mai doesn't want Nathan to be hurt in the process. Somehow deep inside her, she believes that Nathan is a good person. He deserves to be heard, but it's up to him to choose what is the right thing to do.

At the same moment of Mai's frustration, Nathan himself is locked up in his room, torn on what he should do.

He knows what is the right thing to do, and yet at the same time he doesn't want to disappoint his father or his king as well. He knows that deportation is the worst way to handle things, and he knows that settling it with both sides agreeing on equal points is the right to do it.

Nathan is scared. He knows what is the right decision, but he's scared, contemplating if he's brave enough to face the consequences once he goes back to America.

The right decision will benefit his people, but it might hurt his relationship with his own father and with his country's king. The wrong decision will make the king and his father proud, but it will hurt a lot of people.

Nathan knows what to do, but knowing the consequences is painful for him to think of.

 

//

 

A knock echoes through Mai's room as she prepares to rest for the night. She hasn't been sleeping well for the past few nights and it would be a lie not to say that it was because of Nathan.

Thoughts of telling her father had plagued her mind, but these thoughts are always overpowered by her desire not to hurt Nathan. She truly believes that there's kindness in him, but she doesn't know if she can truly trust him after what she had overheard him in that conversation with his father.

Confrontation is the last thing that Mai would want, so she was met by surprise when she opens her door only to find a solemn Nathan waiting for her outside.

“May I come in?”

She waits a beat to contemplate if she would let him enter, and opens her door widely a moment later as permission for him to do so. Nathan slowly enters her room, and watches for a few moments before dropping his eyes to the ground as Mai struggles to gather her thoughts, before facing him with a blank expression on her face.

“Why are you here Nathan?

Mai sees sadness reflected in the droopiness of his shoulders, and patiently waits for Nathan to speak. He has every right to explain for himself.

After a moment Nathan seems to have found his focus as he brings his eyes up to stare at Mai, and her heart broke at seeing the sadness reflected in his eyes. Nathan sadly smiles at her.

“The negotiation is in two days.” He starts, as Mai slowly nods in response. “I just came here to tell you that I have made my decision.”

Fear crept in her chest as for a second, Mai allowed herself to believe that Nathan would follow what his father had told him to do. She watches as Nathan drops his gaze to the ground, a sad smile but with a hint of determination reflected on them as he said the next few words. “I'm going to push through with the negotiations, I'm going to propose for an equal distribution of working rights for workers from both kingdoms.”

Mai gasps at his words, shocked at seeing how determined he was upon saying the words to her. “I'm not going to follow my father. If I am to follow in his footsteps as a diplomat, I should know when I should make decisions that will be beneficial not only to my kingdom, but to yours as well.”

He brings his head up to smile at her once more. Even if his smile still has a hint of sadness in it, the determination now is burning stronger as reflected in his eyes. “You helped me realize this princess.” Nathan says as he takes a step towards Mai, and slowly reaches for her hand with a smile that got bigger when she didn't pull away. “You made me realize that to take care of people, I need to be strong too, I need to be stronger for myself; so that these people will have someone to lean on to.”

In his words, Mai slowly turns her hand so that she can hold back his hand in hers, her grip slightly tightening. She flashes him a small unsure, but thankful smile. “I don't know if I really did gave you any help but I'm.. I'm thankful Nathan. You're doing a big favor for my kingdom.”

He shakes his head and huffs a breath of tiredness, obviously worn out from the situation. “I'm only doing what is the right thing princess.” Nathan says, catching Mai's eyes before his smile widened once more.

“And please believe me when I say that you helped me to decide to do the right thing. Because you are important to me Mai. I value you in my life.”

 

//

 

Mai wakes up to a hand gently petting her hair. She opens her eyes blearily, only to see the face of her brother softly smiling at her.

“Hey Mai. Sorry, did I wake you?”

She hums in response instead, opting not to answer yes or no to her brother's question. Shoma watches as Mai slowly sits up and leans towards the headboard of the bed, bringing her legs up, hugging them to her chest.

“What's up Mai? Haven't been sleeping well?” he asks, even though the answer was clear.

Mai shrugs in answer, putting her chin on top of her knees, eyes downcast as she hugs her legs tighter to her chest. Shoma internally sighs at her response, and at the next second moves to sit beside his sister, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, holding her head to his chest as a way to give comfort. Mai loosens her hold on her legs, and sags all her weight to Shoma as she hugs her brother tightly.

“I won't force it out on you, but I hope you know that I'm here, okay? I'm not going anywhere until you're okay.”

She gently nods as she smiles softly at his words. Shoma has proved every single time that he's the best brother that she could ever have.

Silence enveloped the siblings, as only the sound of their breathing resonated in the room. Mai has visibly relaxed in her brother's arms ever since she had woken up, and Shoma's hand hasn't left his sister's hair, patting it softly to give comfort.

Shoma isn't blind. He has watched how her sister easily grew comfortable in Nathan's presence, only to see them share awkward and painful glances in a span of a week. He knows that he's protective over her sister and he would do anything to protect Mai, but Shoma doesn't want to accuse Nathan of unnecessarily hurting his sister without hearing both sides of the argument.

He saw Nathan enter Mai's room last night. Shoma was on guard, ready to rescue his sister if he finds her in any danger. But Shoma also saw Nathan quietly and peacefully leave Mai's room. No shouting was heard, and Shoma saw the calm determination that reflected in Nathan's eyes that wasn't present when he entered her room prior.

Deep inside him, Shoma knows that his sister was okay that night. So even if he wanted to know what happened, he opted to wait it out until the morning. Mai needs to think it all out, to sleep on it, before she could tell her brother what happened.

So he waited, and as soon as he woke up the first thing that Shoma did was to visit his sister.

“Nathan.. he..” she starts, causing Shoma to stop petting her hair. He feels her tense at his sudden action and he immediately resumes petting her hair to calm her down. It worked. “He's.. confusing.”

“How is he confusing?”

Mai removes herself from her brother's embrace, sitting up to breathe deeply before saying her next words. Shoma stares at her quietly and patiently waits.

“Nathan makes me feel happy, he makes me feel as if I can do anything. He makes me feel as if I'm a real princess, someone who's worthy of being the daughter of the king.”

Shoma stares at Mai who has her eyes looking down on her lap as she pulls at the loose thread of her blanket. “Well, isn't that good though? That he makes you feel happy?”

“I guess it does, it really does. But I don't know if I can trust in him anymore after what happened.”

He stares at Mai in wonder, waiting for the punchline that he was sure was about to be dropped in any second. Mai brings up her head to stare at Shoma with sad eyes, before revealing what has plagued her mind for a week.

So she tells him; of what she overheard, his explanation, her thoughts on it, and on what he had told her when he visited her the night before.

As Mai explains, Shoma feels anger bubbling up in his chest with every growing second. He forces himself to calm down, trusting his sister that at the end of her explanation, there should be a way for the both of them to make sense of the situation.

“I trust him, I really do, when he said that he'll do the right thing, I know deep inside of me that I trust him that he'll do it. But I'm just so sad and confused because there's still a part of me that's wary that he might turn back from his word.”

Mai has her eyes looking down on her lap once more, her shoulders drooping in sadness. Shoma reaches out an arm to wrap around her shoulders once more in a gentle hug of comfort. “Well, what do you want to do?”

“I'm torn, if I should tell our father or not.”

Shoma felt how Mai tensed when she said those words, and he's sure that it was something that she doesn't want to do. Even with the confused emotions of anger and sympathy at Nathan swimming together in Shoma's chest, Shoma knows and believes that Mai completely trusts Nathan. The burden of having the option to tell their father as the royal princess clashes against her personal belief that Nathan will never do them harm.

“What do you want to do?”

Mai raises her head to look at Shoma, eyes filled with desperate need of help, unsure if her next words are correct.

“I don't want to tell our father. I want to give Nathan a chance.”

Shoma sadly smiles at her answer, as he brings her close to leave a soft kiss on top of her head, pulling away to look at her in the eyes once more. His next words stung his own heart as if telling himself that it's not only a reminder for his sister, but for his own heart too. “Follow what your heart is telling you Mai. The heart never lies.”

 

//

 

_“Takahashi Daisuke, King of the Eastern Kingdom of Japan; Uno Shoma, son of the royal king, Crown Prince of the Eastern Kingdom of Japan; Mihara Mai, daughter to the royal king Princess of the Eastern Kingdom of Japan.”_

_“Nathan Chen, son and successor of senior diplomat to the Eastern Kingdoms Sir Rafael Arutunian.”_

_“Official Secretary to the King, Tanaka Keiji, and interim assistant of the son of the senior diplomat, Jason Brown, are also present to administer the meeting.”_

As formal introductions have been said, both parties took a seat in front of each other, with a wide expanse of a table in between them; the royal family at the right, and the western visitors on the left. With the other Japanese officials and advisors present to see over the final negotiations of the _Worker's Treaty_ , tensions were undeniably high in the conference hall.

Dressed in suits and formal wear, courteous smiles with eyes blank of emotions are set on each other's faces. The crown prince looks at his sister from the corner of his eye, watchful of his sister's actions. The princess has her eyes straight looking blankly at the wall in front of her, discomfort invisible from the posture that she was sporting, although he sees her eyes blink away any emotion from them. She wants to look calm, feel calm, be calm.

He chances a look at the young diplomat seated in front of him, and watches him scan the papers in front of him with focused eyes, his assistant whispering final instructions to him before they start. If it wasn't for his prior knowledge, the prince wouldn't have noticed how the young diplomat actively avoids the eyes of his sister, with eyes looking everywhere besides hers.

With a prompt from the his official secretary the king clears his throat, and when his eyes met with the man across him, he flashes him a pleasant smile that was returned with a nod.

“Let us begin?”

Daisuke nods his head once at his secretary's direction, before Keiji nods back and stands up with a bunch of papers on his right hand.

“As short meetings have been held to ensure that smooth negotiations would push through, King Daisuke has prepared the main points from his prepared final list of proposed agreements;

  1. Japanese citizens will be allowed to choose to work in America, granted that they will follow the provisions set for foreign workers.
  2. Japanese citizens will be allowed to extend their working visa and working contract if they wish to stay longer in America.
  3. Japanese citizens will have equal working and living rights as American citizens in their duration of stay in the said country,



and in return the king promises that from all points said, the American citizens would have the same equal treatment as from the proposed agreements, if the treaty will push through.”

As soon as Keiji finishes, murmurs of conversation echoed through the room. Most in agreement, some in dissatisfaction that maybe the main points weren't enough. Keiji ignores this, and brings the paper down to the table, flashing Nathan a respectable smile. He then takes a seat beside the king who hasn't removed his gaze from Nathan's. The young diplomat nods in acknowledgement of the said statements, before signalling his assistant to respond back with theirs.

Shoma takes a peek at Mai and sees her trying to suppress herself from shaking. He gently puts his hand on top of hers in comfort.

“As a disclaimer, Sir Nathan instructed me to say that he came here bringing instructions from his father Sir Rafael Arutunian, but all final proposed conclusions are in his own thoughts and terms of what he think is beneficial for both kingdoms. So, as of today, here are the main points from the final list of proposed agreements from the Western Kingdom;

  1. The Americans, if they do so wish, can work in the east if they wish to.
  2. The Americans, if they wish to stay and work longer in the east, may do so.
  3. The Americans shall get equal working and living rights as the Japanese in the duration of their stay in the eastern kingdom.



and in return, Sir Nathan will do all his best to gain approval from the Western King, for the Japanese to gain the same equal treatment as the Americans, if the treaty will be signed into a close.”

Murmurs heightened, but this time not only of either approval or disapproval, but by bewilderment. The treaty has been in talks and preparations for years, and it only took the young son of the eastern diplomat for both sides to come into an equal conclusion?

King Daisuke shares the same sentiments as the other surprised officials as he stares at Nathan with wide eyes, who had a determined look on his face.

“You propose equality for both kingdoms?”

Nathan quirks a smile, as he tilts his head to the side. “Isn't that the right thing to do, your highness?”

Daisuke huffs out in disbelief and laughter, an approving smile starting to form on his face. He brings his hands together to clap, and the whole room gradually follows. Cheers of acknowledgement and approval echoed, and Nathan nods and smiles at the people in gratitude.

“You will make a great king if you do so wish, Nathan.”

Nathan shakes his head humbly, as he watches the king signal his secretary to file out the final papers for signing. He turns his head to look at Mai, finding her eyes brimming with tears. Nathan shows her a small smile, nodding at her. She nods back, and Mai gives him a teary smile of her own.

 

//

 

Mai was trying hard not to bring up her expectations when she went out that night.

As soon as the negotiations ended, she rushed to her room to change out of her stuffy formal clothes into casual ones, before rushing out to the palace gardens. She doesn't know what gave her the idea that he might be there, but Mai held on to the possibility that _who knows?_ He might be waiting for her.

And like some kind of magical coincidence, Nathan was there, waiting like a prince right in front of the fountain where they first met.

Mai abruptly stopped in her steps, gasping out a sigh of relief when Nathan flashes her a smile. It might be sudden onslaught of emotions, or just the sheer happiness in knowing that he was waiting for her; but Mai didn't waste another second before she ran and launched herself into his arms.

“You're here.” Mai whispers as she wraps her arms around his neck, hiding her face in the crook of his neck and shoulder. Nathan wraps his arms tight around her waist, burying his nose in her hair to deeply breathe in her scent. “Of course I'll be here. Where do you think I will be?”

She waits a beat for she pulls away, eyes filled with tears that he immediately brings a hand up to wipe away. Embarrassed, she chuckles at his actions.

“You stayed true to your word.”

“I told you that I would, didn't I?”

Mai nods her head approvingly at Nathan, before realizing that by staying true to his word, Nathan basically went against his father. Her eyebrows furrowed at the realization, at which Nathan looks at her with question in his eyes.

“But your father..” she trails off, pausing when she senses his arms loosening around her waist for a bit, a sad smile replacing the happy one that he had earlier.

Nathan sadly shrugs at Mai with a slight tilt of his face, obviously attempting to show her that he was fine when he was not. “Of course he's not happy. What's done is done, but I have to face the consequences.”

“Will you get punished?” She asks, scared and concerned for his well-being. He shrugs his shoulders, genuinely clueless on what might happen. “I really don't know what will happen to me princess. But either way like what I have said, I must face the consequences.”

Mai looks at him with genuine concern pouring out of her eyes, and Nathan smiles sadly at her once more, before tugging her closer to him, placing his chin on top of her shoulder for a tight hug.

“Please don't look at me like I'll die princess.” Nathan jokes as he tries to lighten up the atmosphere. “I won't, well not yet, probably. I don't think they kill me anyways.” Mai abruptly pulls away to hit him on the shoulder, a frown on her face as he laughs at her annoyed expression. He pulls her again in a tight hug, rocking her from side to side to comfort her.

“I seriously don't know what will happen Mai. All I know is that there's probably a some sort of punishment waiting for me when I come back, and I have to face it either way. I can't run away from it.”

She slowly nods her head in understanding, unable to do anything but to accept that his decision to go against his father has some repercussions that he must face.

“When are you going back anyways?”

“That is the reason why I'm here too.”

Mai pulls away; confusion, turning into fear and denial all swimming inside of her chest. At the back of her mind, she already had an idea on what Nathan was going to say, but she refuses to acknowledge it. Not yet.

Nathan seems to realize that Mai has started to register it in her brain when he flashes her a sad smile. He seems to only keep on sadly smiling for her that night, and it breaks his heart that he can do nothing about it.

“My father immediately wants me back Mai. I'm leaving tomorrow.”

She starts shaking her head repeatedly, hands grasping at his arms as she looks down, eyes starting to brim with tears once more. Nathan can feel Mai shaking in his hold so he tightens his arms around her body, trying to ground her.

“No.. no.. why now.. why so soon.. you just finished.. there should be time, more time.. why..”

Nathan brings a hand up to push her head to his shoulder, shushing her cries. He feels his heart breaking more when he feels his shoulder getting damp with her tears. He pays it no mind and just continues to comfort her, petting her hair softly as he tries to swallow back his own tears.

It might have been a few minutes or a few hours, but Nathan pays it no mind. He waits for Mai to calm down and when she does, he gently pulls her away from his shoulder to hold her face in his hands. He lightly brushes the tears away from her face, thumbs softly caressing her cheek.

“Look at me Mai, and listen well to what I'm going to say okay?”

She nods, and doesn't look away.

“You are the most beautiful princess that I have ever known. You're smart, beautiful, and compassionate. You help people whenever they need to, and your smile brings comfort to everyone else around you. You're like my personal sunshine.”

Nathan brings a hand up to lightly caress Mai's hair away to reveal her eyes. He smiles at her.

“You're the only one who made me this happy Mai. You changed me into a better person. I'm not asking for anything, I just want you to know that you'll always be the most beautiful princess in my heart.”

In his words, tears once again fell from her eyes as she surges forward to wrap her arms tight around him. Nathan hugs Mai tight, before placing a kiss on top of her head.

“I really like you Mai. I'm sorry.”

 

//

 

It wasn't unusual for Mai to visit his room, but it was unusual for her to visit Shoma at midnight, with tears flowing from her eyes.

He catches her when she practically falls into his arms, sobbing her eyes out. Shoma catches Yuzuru's eyes who was watching the scene with wide eyes from his post outside of Shoma's room, unsure of what to do.

“The princess practically threw herself to open your door. I couldn't stop her.”

Shoma waves a hand off to dismiss Yuzuru, nodding his head once before taking slow steps to drag his crying sister inside his room. “I'll take it from here. Go rest for the night now Yuzu.”

Yuzuru hovers unsurely beside him, hands extended to assist the siblings if they need him to. Shoma shows him a disapproving look, lips sealed together in a tight line as he shakes his head.

Even though he was still unsure, Yuzuru nods his head and bows to Shoma in respect. He waits for the prince to enter the room, nodding at him once more with a tight smile before shutting his door.

Shoma brings Mai to his bed, and sits beside her as she found comfort on his shoulder. With an arm around her, he holds her hand with his other hand, quietly shushing her cries.

“What happened Mai? You're not usually like this.”

His words only made his sister cry harder, as Mai buries her face in his shoulder more. “Nathan, he's already leaving tomorrow. Did you know that?”

Shoma tries to hide his shock in her words, but he realizes that he must have failed so when Mai moves away to look at him in desperation. He forlornly stares at her, and shakes his head to say no.

Mai looks down at the ground in his response, her chest feeling tight as she attempts to swallow back her tears. She stares at her hands, lightly touching her fingertips against each other as if to reminisce the feeling of her touch on his skin. She turns to look at him with wide eyes.

“He told me that he likes me.”

Shoma smiles, unsurprised at the revelation. It doesn't take someone blind to see the affection brimming out of their eyes whenever they look at each other, but it's sad that they have to part from one another just after confirming the feelings of the other.

“Well, what do you feel?”

After asking this question, Shoma watches as Mai's gaze at him falls to the ground again, pink tainting her cheeks. He watches as she plays with her fingers, obviously contemplating what to answer. At her actions, Shoma already know that Mai is hesitant to say the truth because once she does, she'll be acknowledging the truth that they'll have to be apart from each other sooner than what she would have wanted.

Shoma holds his hand out in front of her, and she brings his gaze up to stare at him in confusion. He smiles at her once more, wiggling his fingers as if to encourage her to put her hands in his, and Mai does.

He holds her hand tight in his with his right hand, while his other hand is covering their intertwined hands. Shoma gently caresses Mai's hands repeatedly, an attempt to ease her first before he says his next words.

“You don't need to say it Mai. Your actions already show what your heart wants to say. But I think the real question is; what do you want to do about it?”

She doesn't pull away from Shoma's hold and seems to hesitate from responding from the way how her eyes are darting around, avoiding her brother's gaze.

“Mai, look at me.” she does, and Shoma shows her a bittersweet smile. “Give your heart a chance. Listen to it. Not everyone has the chance to listen to what their heart says.”

She smiles sadly at his words, as she finally brings her eyes up again to look at her brother.

“Listen to your heart Mai, the heart never lies. Give your heart a chance.”

 

//

 

Nathan shakes King Daisuke’s hand firmly, who nods at him with a smile. It was obvious that after the negotiations, Daisuke's respect for Nathan heightened if not for the way on how brighter he looked now at the young diplomat.

He doesn't pay much attention on this, and just opted to drop the hand of the king when he had deemed their handshake to be enough already.

“It's such a shame that you had to immediately leave. Nevertheless, we hope you enjoyed your stay here, as it is one of the few ways for us to give gratitude to your generosity about the Worker's Treaty.” The king says. “We are in your debt.”

Nathan shakes his head in disagreement. “Let's not think like that your highness,” he says with a short laugh. “I was only doing the right thing.”

Amused, Daisuke laughs at his words as Keiji who was beside him smiles at the exchange.

Smiling, Nathan looks at his farewell entourage one by one. It only consisted of the king, his assistant, and the crown prince, along with their guards. The princess was noticeably absent.

He would be lying if Nathan said that his heart didn't broke upon realizing that Mai wouldn't be present to bid him goodbye. But Nathan had also accepted that maybe this was the best way for them to part ways.

His confession last night wasn't a spur of the moment. Nathan felt that it was the perfect moment to tell her how he feels, to tell her that she had made him the happiest that he could ever be. But circumstances hindered them from spending more time together, and it's something that's out of their control.

Last night they parted ways unwillingly, with Mai almost reluctant to let go of her hold on him. If Nathan could, he would hold on to her tighter but he knew that sooner or later, he had to let go.

Nathan left a goodbye kiss on Mai's cheek last night, hoping that he may cherish it as a beautiful memory forever.

He's brought back from his thoughts when the crown prince suddenly steps forward, extending his hand for a handshake. Nathan pleasantly smiles at Shoma as he shakes his hand once, before letting go.

“Your presence here really changed things Nathan. I'm grateful for many things, but the one thing that I'm most grateful for is for you taking care of my sister.”

Shoma pulls out a folded paper from his pocket, before giving it to Nathan with an approving nod. He watches as Nathan takes it with confusion reflected in his eyes, who just stares at him in question as to what it. Shoma only grins, jerking his head forwards to encourage Nathan to open it.

Nathan slowly opens the paper, and out of it falls a small pendant with a design of a cherry blossom attached to it. He jerks his head up to stare at Shoma with wide eyes, who only grins wider at him.

“Its Mai's. She left a letter with it.”

 

_Dear Nathan,_

 

_I'm sorry that we had to part ways as sudden as we did. We didn't have enough to time to enjoy each other's presence. I always enjoyed spending time with you._

_For the past month that you have stayed with us, you have taught me more on how much of a princess I should be, more than what the teachers that the royal officials allow to teach me. You have taught me to believe in myself, to trust in others, and to give faith in people that I meet. You made me understand that the most important thing in being a princess, is to put trust in myself and to the people around me. Words aren't enough to extend my gratitude to you._

_I'm sorry that I couldn't tell you these words last night. I was in despair on the news of you leaving. I was so busy crying over the fact that we have to part ways when I should have spent the time to tell you that I like you too. You gave me so much happiness Nathan. I couldn't have been more happier in the last month that you spent with us in the palace._

_Do you remember the story that I told you about cherry blossoms? That they're the main attraction in Japan and yet I overlook its beauty because I always see it? I realized that the cherry blossoms are like my adoration to you, when I wasn't paying attention to it because I thought you might stay here longer, only to go away when I have seen its beauty; when I have realized my adoration for you._

_I am giving you my cherry blossom pendant not as a gift, but as a symbol of trust that you will find your way back to me. That just like the cherry blossoms, I will always cherish and remember my adoration for you._

_I will wait for you Nathan. Please find your way back to me._

  


_Love,_

_Mai_

  


 


	2. A Year later

 

Buzzing with endless conversations, reporters wait outside the University of Tokyo for the first appearance of royal princess Mai Mihara wearing a yukata.

The hanami season is in full bloom, and it was also University of Tokyo's open school day where the university opened its gates to the general public where everyone can enjoy good food and drinks from various food stalls, listen to good music, watch amazing dance performances; while wearing a yukata.

Almost a year ago no one would have imagined that the king would allow his daughter to attend a university after being homeschooled in the palace all her life. Debates and rumors spread out on where she would enter, and why is she allowed to do so if her brother wasn't; and all negative rumors got shot down when it was the princess herself who confirmed that she will be entering University of Tokyo and the choice to enter a university was hers (with a little bit of persuasion from her father, the king.)

Reporters impatiently wait for the appearance of the princess only to have their next day headlines more interesting, when shutters went off and a presence made itself known by approaching the princess who just got out of the building, wearing a shocked smile on her face at the person in front of her. He too was wearing a yukata, matching the one that the princess was wearing.

Mai looks at Nathan, frozen in place at his sudden appearance. He softly grins at her before reaching for her hand, caressing it gently before bringing it to his lips for a soft kiss. “Surprised, princess?”

With happy tears brimming in her eyes, Mai nods her head at Nathan who shows her an even bigger smile.

He lets go of her hand for a second to bring out the cherry blossom pendant that she had left him a year ago, opening it's lock to wear it around her neck, closing it in place.

Nathan brings his hands up to hold her face, thumbs rubbing soothingly on her smiling cheeks as his eyes dart from the necklace to her eyes.

“Thank you for waiting for me, Mai. I'm here now, I came back for you.”

Shutters continue on clicking, reporters impatiently shouting out questions to the couple in front of them but they paid them no mind, content in losing themselves in each other's eyes.

The next day Nathan and Mai would probably find themselves laughing over the news headlines, and they wouldn't be bothered about it; most of them are correct anyways.

  


_HEADLINE: Princess Mihara Mai and Western Diplomat Nathan Chen, in a relationship? The royal palace confirms, it's a yes!_


End file.
